Nottingham Forest head coach Oliver Glasner has laid down the law for defender Murillo, challenging the Brazilian center-back to shake off his sluggish start to the season and recapture his absolute best form ahead of Saturday’s crucial Premier League trip to Aston Villa.
Murillo’s preparations for the current campaign were severely disrupted after he missed the tail end of last term and the beginning of pre-season due to a lingering hamstring injury. Although he has managed to force his way into the starting XI for Forest’s opening three league fixtures, fitness limitations have restricted him to playing the full 90 minutes just once.
The physical rust was evident last weekend when Murillo was withdrawn in the dying minutes of a tense 0-0 stalemate against Tottenham Hotspur. Speaking frankly ahead of the Villa clash, Glasner revealed that the defender did not return from his summer break in the physical shape required to hit the ground running. However, the Austrian manager stressed that the club is fully backing the center-back as he works his way back to peak condition.
”His fitness is getting better and better,” Glasner told reporters. “He played his first 45 minutes of football during the training camp in Portugal, which was five weeks ago, and he had been out for four months. It is about getting rhythm.”
While Murillo has produced “okay” performances since returning to the side, Glasner made it clear that the defender’s ceiling is vastly higher. “We all know that his standards are not to be an okay player for Forest, they are to be a top player and a top defender—he has all the potential and skills for this. We will support him until he is, hopefully, even better than he has been before. He is really working hard. He is on track.”
The Blueprint for Success: Emulating Jair Cunha
Murillo’s path back to dominance could find inspiration closer to home. His compatriot and teammate, Jair Cunha, recently earned a maiden senior call-up to the Brazil national squad following a stellar start to the season. The 21-year-old’s commanding defensive display against Tottenham caught the eye of national team scouts, culminating in an emotional first international recognition.
When asked whether Jair’s rapid ascent could serve as a motivational tool for Murillo, Glasner insisted that true elite athletes shouldn’t require outside catalysts.
”I hope that he does not need this motivation,” Glasner stated. “Every player should have an intrinsic motivation to improve and to be rewarded for that by being called up to play for their country. The focus must be on what they have to do to get called up. That is what I have tried to explain—the focus to do what Jair has done, from day one, to get called up.”
Drawing comparisons to former England Under-21 European Championship player of the tournament James McAtee, Glasner emphasized the fundamental gap between having a casual “wish” and establishing a concrete “goal.”
”Many have the wish and do not do anything to achieve it. If it is your goal, you have to invest in it and you have to work very hard, because there are hundreds of players who want to play for their country,” Glasner added. “You want to be in an elite circle of 26 players? You must be fantastic. To get that reward you have to work really, really hard, then it can happen. That has to be the mindset.”
Guarding the Inner Sanctum
Reflecting on Jair’s recent milestone, Glasner revealed that the young defender was given the final word during a team meeting ahead of the Villa fixture—a traditional dressing-room reward for players celebrating birthdays or maiden international honors.
True to his old-school philosophy, the Forest boss dismissed the modern trend of broadcasting every internal team moment across digital platforms. “When it comes to having microphones or cameras in the dressing room, I am old school. I think it should be our inner sanctum. It stays in the dressing room and at the training ground,” Glasner said. “The players are so visible and transparent in their social media. But in the dressing room, I want the door to be closed, so that they can be themselves.”
As Forest turns its full attention toward Villa Park, the dual narrative of Murillo’s physical redemption and Jair’s international breakthrough highlights the rising internal standards under Glasner as the Reds look to stamp their authority on the Premier League season.
